Black Mirror

Genre and themes[edit]

As Black Mirror is an anthology series, each episode is standalone and can be watched in any order.^[9] The programme is an instance of speculative fiction within science fiction: the majority of episodes are set in dystopian near-futures with novel technologies that exaggerate a trait from contemporary culture, often the internet.^[10][11][12] An example is "Crocodile", where the Recaller device used to view a person's memories is the main difference from the modern world.^[10] Many such technologies involve altering the human body or consciousness, with little in-universe concern for the morality of these actions.^[11] They provide convenience or freedom to the user, but exacerbate problematic personality traits.^[11][12] Adrian Martin of Screen wrote that many episodes depict "basic human emotions and desires" that "intersect with, and get twisted by, a technological system that invariably spins out of control and into catastrophe".^[10] Retrofuturistic designs highlight the theme of each episode, often showing a lack of comfort, emotional connection or personalisation;^[13] the settings are generally patriarchal and capitalist.^[14] Recurring themes throughout Black Mirror include data privacy and surveillance, virtual reality, individualism and consumerism.^[10][11] Many episodes have plot twists.^[15][16]


However, individual episodes explore varying genres.^[10] Crime fiction episodes include the police procedurals "Hated in the Nation" and "Smithereens" and the Nordic noir "Crocodile".^[17][18][19] Horror and psychological horror are features of "Black Museum" and "Playtest", respectively.^[20][21] The first episode, "The National Anthem", contains black comedy and political satire.^[22][23] Some episodes employ features of lighter-hearted genres, such as romance in "San Junipero" and "Striking Vipers", romantic comedy in "Hang the DJ", or space opera in "USS Callister".^{[24][25][26][27]} Other genres include drama ("Fifteen Million Merits"), psychological thriller (Black Mirror: Bandersnatch), post-apocalyptic fiction ("Metalhead"), and war film ("Men Against Fire").^{[10][14][28][29]}


Black Mirror can be seen to demonstrate a negative view of unending pursuit of scientific and technological advancement.^[11] The majority of episodes end unhappily.^[12] However, characters who carefully consider the risks of technology with which they engage are met with happy endings, as in "San Junipero".^[11] Juliana Lopes of Via Panorâmica argued that the dystopian settings resemble the French Marxist Guy Debord's concept of the spectacle, wherein mass media create alienation and an unattainable utopia for individuals to pursue. For instance, in "Nosedive", the protagonist Lacie strives for a utopian life through superficiality and performativity, in a society where social media success contributes to high socioeconomic status.^[12] Academics writing in Quarterly Review of Film and Video found that Black Mirror episodes fall into a genre of "mind-game films", wherein protagonists are disoriented and narratives are non-linear or fragmented. Films in this genre include Inception (2010) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), and these works often show the unreliability of the state, technology or family.^[11]


Some critics believed that episodes produced under Channel 4 had a more British tone or shared aesthetic qualities not found in later series.^[10][11] In contrast, Netflix episodes including "Nosedive", "San Junipero", "USS Callister" and "Hang the DJ" evidence pastel aesthetics, use of 1980s or 1990s nostalgia and lighter-hearted tones than Channel 4 episodes.^[11] The frequency of happy endings and positive uses of technology increase in later series.^[30][31][32] With the use of a werewolf in "Mazey Day" and a demon in "Demon 79", the sixth series introduced supernatural horror elements to Black Mirror, and reduced the role of technology.^[33][34][35]